Tuesday, September 20, 2016

SENATORS RESPOND TO MY LETTER APOLOGIZING FOR FR. JEFF

On Monday, September 19, I sent this letter to every senator in the Guam Legislature, thanking them for their courageous and unanimous vote in support of Bill 326-33 and apologizing for Fr. Jeff's "script" to the clergy which clearly stated that he believed that the senators did not know what they were doing when they voted for the bill. The following senators have directly responded thus far.

Frank Blas Jr

Sep 19 (1 day ago)

Thanks Tim!

Rest assure that as the author and main sponsor of the legislation, I knew exactly what I was introducing. Bill 326-33 gives the victims of child sexual abuse a real opportunity for closure and to seek justice for what they had to endure.

All the best,

Frank

aguon4guam

Sep 19 (1 day ago)

Tim,

Thank you for fighting this cause for the victims and for stopping child sexual abuse. We must protect our children from ever being victimised.

Thanks for all you do.

Frank

Rory J. Respicio

Sep 19 (1 day ago)

Tim,

I knew exactly what I was voting for when I voted for Bill 326-33, and proudly accepted the invitation to

co-sponsor this bill. Sen. Blas invited me to co-sponsor this bill because of my unwavering support for it from the moment it was introduced.

Throughout the legislative

session while this bill was being debated, I reflected on the major change of events, meaning those who were against Sen. BJ's bill at that time were the same ones who are now adamantly for it. I guess I should be counted among those people in this category because I voted no for Sen. BJ's bill and made my reasons public at that time.

So I'm writing this email pledging my commitment to vote for the override, if in the event this bill is vetoed by the Governor. Tim, I know I'm your least favorite legislator, and I respect your views. I don't take your criticisms of me personally. I'm not perfect, and always willing to hear opposing views. And,

my only hope and prayer is that we can have a civil discourse in all matters facing our island community.

Distraught caused by the Church turning a blind eye. Distraught caused by a wrong sense of vow of obedience by the clergy. This vow is being shattered rightfully by Fr. Jeff and Pale Mike, Fr. Efren, Fr. Kidd.

The word is distress, not distraught, as in "will cause distress when children are abused."

People can be described as distraught, as in "She was distraught when she realized her precious child had been abused and his innocence stolen."

Hope that little English lesson clears things up. Because there is next to no possibility that schools will be sold (no need for distress) but the community is already distraught over the offenses to its innocent children.

Watch the high and mighty rich families fight this tooth and nail to save their precious schools so their children won't have to hobnob with the "Chads", migrants and low class masses. Hey, you can always enroll your kids at St. John's, Harvest, or St. Paul's, right? Everybody on Guam knew that the hard-working, middle class Catholic families who couldn't afford Mercy Heights, St. Anthony's, Bishop, Academy, and Father D sent their kids to Tai, Dominican, Santa Barbara, St. Francis, Mt. Carmel, San Vicente and Notre Dame. These schools were all struggling to increase enrollment to survive and maintain their academic standings. Santa Barbara was the shining example, thanks to the good Sisters, dedicated teachers and strong parent support. Mount Carmel would have fallen, if not for Mike Phillips' money and their strong fine arts and cultural emphasis, along with some good leaders. San Vicente has metamorphosed into a NEO-backed school, give or take a few strong alumni's support. Still, their enrollment has been dwindling, as are the numbers at St. Francis, Mt. Carmel and Notre Dame. What's my point here? Maybe, just maybe, if these schools close down as the fear-mongerers say (heaven forbid), the good senators and the governor can finally put their money where their mouth is and give DOE the budget that it so desperately needs, not just to function but to excel in academics, fine arts, physical education and special education! They have not cared because their kids don't attend public schools. So maybe if their kids have to go to these public schools they will finally see the light. My apologies to all the good, hard-working parents who scrimp and save to afford the increasing tuition, "extracurricular fees", and never-ending fundraisers, in order to send their kids to Catholic schools. I don't begrudge your financial opportunities and choices. But while your kids have ridden their buses on time, sat in their air-conditioned classes in their structurally-sound buildings, studied with a full class set of textbooks, took music, art and P.E. classes, our kids have suffered with less or without.

No schools will close unless the Church decides to close them.St Thomas closed because it was hemmoraging cash and couldn't fix the problem. If others schools can't make ends meet they will close. But Bankruptcy won't close them. Only the Church can do that.

Where are you getting this information?St.Johns is Episcopalian,Harvest is a Baptist school, and St. Paul is a "Chrisian" school. Also all the schools you mentioned are private schools and do NOT recieve funding from DOE. Sweetheart the reason they pay tuition is to pay for school bills,teacher paychecks(for which they get paid less than public school teachers.), and other expenses such as textbooks and maintenancd of facilities. You obviously have no idea who attends private schools as they are from consisting of "rich kids". Most private schools offer scholarships to help stusents pay for tuition.Why on earth would a "rich kid" need a scholarship with all their money? Your logic is faulty,your sources nowhere to be found, and your comment only heightens your ignorance.

Dear heart, Notre Dame is not a diocesan school, it belongs to the Notre Dame Sisters. San Vicente is a parish school under the Pastor of Barrigada, it is not listed as a diocesan school. I work hard and strive to send my children to a Catholic School because I was afforded the opportunity to do so. If they close down, I am a certified teacher and can home school. In no way will I send my children to a School that doesn't have the label "Catholic".

My, my...11:14 AM, you waited for this opportunity to lay it out there, didn't you? Sounds like sour grapes to me, can we interest you in some grey poupon to go with it? The reality is that the majority of parents who send their kids to school make tremendous sacrifices and are actively involved in the formation of their kids. They prioritize quality education so they rightly claim ownership on the educational development of their kids. Not to denigrate public schools, it really is about the hard choices that parents make. That is their right. Please do not use the chip on your shoulder to pit one school over another. All schools and hardworking parents discern what is a good fit for their children, given the variables and limitations that families face. We have more than enough issues dividing our island community, please do not add this slanted bias to the mix.

Tim, obviously many people don't understand what bankruptcy actually means, other than watching contestants on "Wheel of Fortune" lose everything when the pointer lands on that dreaded slot. Perhaps you can educate the ignorant and post the definition of bankruptcy as defined by the US courts.

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